Does Bias Stem from Racism or Ignorance?
Source: www.pubsonline.com Over the past few weeks, I have had the privilege of talking to several people with diverse backgrounds, and one question came up repeatedly: does bias stem from racism or simply ignorance? Different people think about this differently. Those I talked to are optimistic, believing that people are inherently good and that their biases stem from a lack of understanding of certain behaviors rather than inherent racism. Minorities/people who have been discriminated against generally feel the need to work harder to break down racial barriers and “overachieve.” For them, doing better than the other person is the only way to get ahead of the game (especially in a competitive environment such as the tech industry). The people I interviewed came from different racial backgrounds, and it was evident that they faced a form of unconscious bias during the interview process. Many of them were passed over in interviews, despite be...
